In presses and dies it has been common to utilize coil metal springs that fit in cylindrical pockets in a die in order to absorb the force of various operations such as metal stamping operations. It has also been common to design rams such that they incorporate gas springs which are either associated with a manifold or self contained.
Among the objectives of the present invention are to provide a small gas spring which is interchangeable with a coil springs; which can be readily substituted for coil springs without any change in the ram; which is compact and effective for the intended purpose.
In accordance with the invention, the self contained gas spring interchangeable with coil spring comprises a cylindrical body having a constant diameter external cylindrical surface, the cylindrical body having open ends and a piston within said cylindrical body and having one end projecting through one of the openings of the cylindrical body. The piston and the cylindrical body have interengaging flanges that limit the outward movement of the piston relative to the cylindrical body. A plug is positioned in the other end of the cylindrical body to close the opening of the cylindrical body. A charging valve is positioned in the plug for charging the interior of the gas spring. The piston has a hollow inner end with an inner surface tapering outwardly and axially toward the plug. The plug has a generally complementary surface such that the piston can move downwardly about a portion of the plug thereby substantially reducing the height of the gas spring.